When the Gates Open at Every Major League Ballpark

Heading to the game -- any game anywhere -- and want to know what time you can enter the ballpark? If so, bookmark this page, as it's a guide to the gate opening times of all 30 major league ballparks.

The gate opening times that are detailed for each ballpark are when the general public can enter, as season ticket holders and premium "guests" (such as suite and other exclusive area patrons) are allowed inside a little earlier than regular fans at some parks.

Gate times are for regular season games, as when a ballpark opens to the public can be different during the playoffs and also on Opening Day, when many teams open their gates earlier than they do for their following 80 home games.

Note that not all gates open at the same time. For many MLB parks, the gate that allows earliest entrance is a specific one, with all other gates opening a half-hour or so later. And when the gates open can vary depending on the day of the week and game time.

How soon prior to the game each team's ballpark opens is listed below, with the time and corresponding info posted in alphabetical order by a ballpark’s current name. To search by team, simply use the sidebar to the left.

Typical Gate Opening Times at MLB Ballparks

(accurate for the 2016 season, although times are subject to change)

Angel Stadium - 1½ hours or 2 hours (home plate gate, night games only)
The stadium in Anaheim has eight gates any fan can use. Seven of them always open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game time. The home plate gate opens two hours prior to night games. For day games, the home plate entrance opens 90 minutes before the game, just like all of the stadium's other gates.

AT&T Park - 2 hours
All gates at San Francisco's park open 2 hours prior to game time.

Busch Stadium - 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
Gate opening times in St. Louis depend on the day of the week. For Monday through Thursday games, gates open 90 minutes before first pitch. It's 2 hours before game time on Friday through Sunday.

Camden Yards - 2 hours
In Baltimore it's simple: "For all Orioles home games, all gates will open two hours prior to game time," the team states.

Chase Field - 1½ hours or 2 hours (Friday and Saturday only)
For Friday and Saturday games, fans are allowed in 2 hours before the game begins. For the other five days of the week (Sunday through Thursday), ballpark gate opening time is 1½ hours before the game.

Citi Field - 2 hours
Two gates -- the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (home plate) and Hodges entrance (first base) -- open 2 hours prior to each game, while all the other gates at Citi Field open 1½ hours before game time except on Saturday and Sunday, when every gate opens 2 hours before the game starts.

Citizens Bank Park - 2 hours
The left field gate in Ashburn Alley opens 2 hours prior to all games. As for all other gates, they open 1½ hours before game time on Monday through Friday, then 2 hours beforehand on Saturday and Sunday.

Comerica Park - 1 hour and 38 minutes
Ballpark gates in Detroit open approximately 1½ hours prior to the scheduled game time. For example, if a game starts at 7:08 then gates open at 5:30.

Coors Field - 2 hours
A pair of gates allow entrance 2 hours prior to game time: A and E. However, fans entering those gates are required to stay in the left field pavilion area until the other gates open, which is 1½ hours before a game's starting time.

Dodger Stadium - 2 hours
Fans can enter the stadium via any gate starting 2 hours before game time. Additionally, the gates to the Dodger Stadium parking lot open 2½ hours prior to the start of the game.

Globe Life Park - 1½ hours (day games) or 2½ hours (night games)
For night games the home plate gate opens 2½ hours prior to the game, while all the other gates open two hours prior to a night game's starting time. For afternoon games the gate opening time is a uniform 1½ hours before game time.

Great American Ball Park - 1½ hours
"Gates typically open 90 minutes prior to game time," is how the Reds officially word it.

Guaranteed Rate Field - 1½ hours
The gates open 90 minutes prior to game time at the park on Chicago's South Side.

Kauffman Stadium - 1½ hours
For weekday games, only gates A & E (the Outfield Experience gates) open 1½ hours prior to game time, as the other three gates (B, C & D) open just 1 hour prior to the scheduled start time when the game is played Monday through Thursday. For weekend games (Friday-Sunday), all gates open 1½ hours prior to the game. And regardless of day of the week, if there's a giveaway scheduled then all gates will open 1½ hours prior to game time.

Note: there is one select group of fans that is allowed entry into the stadium 2 hours before the game, as that's when Gate C (home plate entrance) opens to Crown Club ticket holders throughout the season.

Marlins Park - 1½ hours
According to the Marlins, "entrances usually open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start of every regular season home game." An exception is the Diamond Club entrance, which opens 2 hours ahead of game time for those who have club or suite tickets.

Miller Park - 1½ hours
Gates open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game time for 80 of 81 games (Opening Day, at 2 hours, is the only exception).

Minute Maid Park - 1 hour and 40 minutes (1:10 games) or 2 hours (night games)
The majority of games in Houston have evening start times and the gate opening time for them is 2 hours. For the Astros' 1:10 games, all gates open at 11:30 AM. And for the small amount of games that start in the 3:00 hour, the ballpark's gates will open at 1:00 for them.

Nationals Park - 2½ hours
The center field gate opens 2½ hours prior to game time, although fans will only have access then to the center field stands and concourse area. Access to the entire ballpark begins 1½ hours before first pitch, when all other gates at Nationals Park open.

Oakland Coliseum - 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
For games played on Monday through Thursday, the Coliseum's gates open 1½ hours before the starting time. Gates open 2 hours before game time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Petco Park - 2½ hours
The outfield entrance gates at Petco Park (the Gaslamp and East Village gates) have an opening time of 2½ hours before the game. The other ballpark entrances open 1½ hours prior to game time.

PNC Park - 2 hours (day games) or 2½ hours (night games)
The center field entrance (Clemente Gate) opens 2½ hours before games that start after 7:00. For games that start before 7:00, the Clemente Gate opens 2 hours before game time. Otherwise, all other gates at PNC Park open 1½ hours prior to the game.

Progressive Field - 1 hour (12:10 games only) or 2 hours
The right field gate (C) opens 2 hours prior to the start of every game except for those played during the week at 12:10, when the RF gate opens just 1 hour prior to the first pitch. As for all other gates at Progressive Field, they open 1 hour beforehand on every day except for Saturday, when every gate at the Indians' park opens 2 hours prior to game time.

Rogers Centre - 1 hour & 37 minutes (Mon-Fri) or 2 hours & 7 minutes (Sat-Sun)
Gate opening times in Toronto are officially 97 minutes before the first pitch for games played Monday through Friday and 127 minutes for Saturday and Sunday games. For example, gates at Rogers Centre open at 5:30 for a 7:07 Friday night game and at 11:00 AM for a 1:07 Saturday afternoon game.

Safeco Field - 2 hours and 2½ hours (for The 'Pen)
The hangout spot that the Mariners call "The 'Pen," which is accessed via the center field gate, opens 2½ hours before each game, although admission is supposed to be limited to 1,000 people there. All other gates allow fans to enter Safeco Field two hours prior to game time.

SunTrust Park - 2 hours
The "Chop House Gate" (right field area) opens 2 hours before game time while the other four gates open 1½ hours before the game begins.

Target Field - 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
During the week, meaning for Monday through Thursday games, gates open 1½ hours prior to the game. For Friday through Sunday games, the gates at Target Field open 2 hours before the game's starting time.

Tropicana Field - 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
Gates at the Trop open up 1½ hours before games that are played on Monday through Thursday. For weekend games (Friday through Sunday) gates open 2 hours before their starting time.

Wrigley Field - 2 hours
Fans are welcomed into the Friendly Confines two hours before game time, when Wrigley's gates normally open.

Yankee Stadium - 2 hours
Two of the Stadium's gates open 2 hours before the game. They are Gate 6 (right field) and Gate 8 (center field). The standard gate opening time for all other entrances is 1½ hours before the scheduled game time.

Ballpark Gate Opening Facts

2½ hours is the earliest fans can enter any individual team's stadium for every game in 2016. That's always the time the outfield gates open for four ballparks: Nationals Park, Petco Park, Safeco Field and Turner Field.

The latest (or least early) that fans can enter any major league ballpark is 1 hour, which is the gate opening time for Progressive Field when the Indians have a 12:10 game. Based on their 2016 schedule, that means the 1-hour gate opening time applies to only 5 Indians home games. No other team's ballpark opens their gates less than 1½ hours before any game.

Gates open at different times based on a team's schedule for 11 ballparks, with the variable scheduling factor usually being either whether the game begins at day or night and takes place on a weekday or weekend. For all ballparks in which those factors apply, their gates open earlier for night and weekend games.

Uniform gate opening times are not the norm. Only 11 ballparks in 2016 always open all of their gates at the same time, regardless of the game date or starting time (although Opening Day is an allowable exception).

Batting Practice Information

The #1 reason fans arrive early to a ballpark is to watch batting practice. For those interested in doing that, the info below is especially useful:

Although times vary, batting practice usually ends a little less than one hour before game time and that's for the visiting team, as the home team takes BP first and they finish up anywhere from about 1½ to 2 hours before the game is scheduled to start.

The home team will usually have recently begun or are about ready to begin taking their batting practice 2½ hours before first pitch, so at ballparks where any gate opening time is 2½ hours fans will be able to watch all or most of each team's batting practice.

It's also worth noting that teams may not hit before every game, as batting practice can be cancelled due to weather or not held when a day game is played after a night game. Hence, teams often don't take BP on the field prior to Sunday afternoon games.